From holy war to opium war? A case study of the opium economy in north-eastern Afghanistan

This paper examines the recent growth of the opium economy in north-eastern Afghanistan. A detailed analysis of one village in Badakshan Province reveals profound changes in tree local economy and social institutions. The peeper describes two major shifts in rite local economy: first the switch from wheat to poppy cultivation; and second: the shift from the livestock trade to the opium trade, Ir then examines the underlying causes and impacts of the opium economy on social relations in the village. Although a case study of a community living on the margins of the global economy it is argued that these changes have important implications for international policymakers. The emergence of the opium economy in north-eastern Afghanistan is symptomatic of new and expanding forms of trans-border trade associated with the restructuring of the global political economy.